


Filicide

by Violet_Rose_Of_Darkness



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Child Death, F/M, Gen, Mind Control
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 19:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19362757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violet_Rose_Of_Darkness/pseuds/Violet_Rose_Of_Darkness
Summary: Filicide: The murder of one's own child. No one would ever think that it would one day pertain to the Justice League- especially not the League themselves- but what will they do when they are forced to face reality?





	Filicide

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: There will be graphic descriptions of violence. Reader discretion is advised.
> 
> *This work was inspire by 'The truth you find won't take you far' by PseudAnon on Fanfiction.net. Please, check out their story because it is AMAZING!

"Mommy, please stop! It's me! Mommy!"

Diana awoke with a gasp, shooting up from the hard metal floor at speeds she didn't even know she was capable of. Her heart pounded against her chest, her breathing labored as she struggled to catch her breath. Her hands gripped the floor, leaving two sizable indents at her sides. Cold sweat dripped from her forehead as heat engulfed her entire body. Her sapphire eyes quickly darted around the surrounding area, trying to assess the situation she was in.

She was on the Watchtower commissary, that much was apparent. A few feet away, Shayera lay unconscious, her amber hair sprawled across the floor. Diana clambered to her feet and stumbled over towards the woman. For one reason or another, she felt overwhelmingly swore and she couldn't figure out why.

Diana gently shook her friend. "Shay," she whispered, staying on alert in case there were enemies nearby. Why else would the two of them have been unconscious? "Shay, wake up."

Shayera groaned, her neon eyes fluttering open as she slowly sat up. "Ugh, what happened?" she asked groggily, rubbing her head.

The Amazon shrugged. "I was hoping that you'd be able to tell me," she responded. Try as she might, she couldn't recall anything that could have led them to this point. The last thing she remembered was stopping Cheetah from robbing that jewelry store in Gateway City.

The swish of an open door caught both of their attention. In the threshold stood J'onn and he, for once, looked as lost as the rest of them. "I don't suppose either of you can recall how this came to be?" he inquired. Though, his tone implied that he already knew the answer.

Diana shook her head. "No," she answered. "We can't remember anything."

"Well, then that makes four of us."

She would know that deep, brooding voice anywhere. "Bruce," she greeted with a nod. Relief washed through her to see him safe, but she knew that now wouldn't be the right time for sentiments. "Do you know where Kal, John, and Wally are?"

"Kent's going to be out for a minute," Bruce told her. To anyone else, his tone would be neutral and emotionless, but she knew him better than most. It seemed as though he was as worried and confused as they were. "I found him with Kryptonite lodged in his arm."

"Kryptonite?" echoed Diana, her eyebrows creasing with worry. Kryptonite was a very dangerous thing; someone possessing it and using it against her friend caused dread to grip her stomach. What had happened and why couldn't they remember it?

It was at that moment that Wally chose to zip into the room, his expression uncharacteristically solemn. "Okay, either someone threw an awesome party last night and I just drank too much or something is very, very wrong," he announced upon his entry.

John entered beside him a few seconds later, his Green Lantern eyes holding their usual no-nonsense seriousness. "We need to figure out what happened," he decided.

Diana couldn't help but agree with both of them; this had never happened to them before. The possibilities of what could have taken place seemed to be endless and each scenario made her stomach churn with foreboding. Their security could have been breached or they could be trapped in another reality or-

There was a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder and she looked up to meet Bruce's eyes. Though they were hidden by the white slits of his cowl, she could feel the comfort that he was trying to display and appreciated it. She laced her fingers with his own and looked at the group. "We need to review any footage that we can in the Monitor Womb," she determined.

There were no objections.

OoOoOo

Diana's foot tapped with anxiety as she watched J'onn start up the security footage for the last seventy-two hours. It had been discovered that it was December 24, not December 21 which was when she recalled defeating Cheetah and hauling her off to jail. The other Founders admitted that the twenty-first was the last day that they remembered as well.

She waited with anticipation for the footage to play, her heart racing inside her chest. Everything seemed normal enough; minor League members took on missions and ate and gossiped with one another. It was the norm for the Watchtower. But as Christmas Eve rolled around, everyone except the Founders filed out.

Which actually wasn't as abnormal as it seemed. It was a tradition among the Founders that they stayed at the Watchtower for Christmas and brought their proteges along.

Diana allowed a smile to adorn her face at the thought. Her twin children absolutely loved Christmas on the Watchtower; Theodora and Terrance were very close with the other Founders and their proteges. They looked forward to it every single year.

If there was any consolation, it was that she knew that her children were safely at the Manor with Alfred.

She felt her heart drop, however, when she saw said twins enter the Watchtower; without her or Bruce. Flanking them were John and Shayera's son Reginald Stewart, Clark's son Jonathan Kent, J'onn's niece M'gann M'orzz, and Wally's protege Danica Williams. They were all in uniform, their expressions unusually grim as they cautiously moved further into the space satellite.

No one in the Monitor Womb moved as they waited with bated breath to see what would happen. Why were their proteges on the Watchtower and, more importantly, why weren't they with them?

"Everyone, stay alert," instructed Theodora on the screen. Her blue eyes were narrowed as she surveyed the surrounding area. "There's no telling what could happen." Her voice was grim and Diana realized that her daughter sounded a lot like herself when the situation called for it. She sounded like a leader and that, for some reason, put her on edge.

"Be prepared to fight," added Terrance next to her. "They might look like our parents, but don't let your guard down because of that." Now that was all Bruce. Or rather, it was all Batman. Her son's tone was gruff and biting and it sent a shiver through her. Her precious baby boy should never sound like that.

Even though Danica had goggles on, it was apparent that she was rolling her eyes. "Uh, Wally's not my dad," she pointed out. However, anyone could see that she was nervous; all of them were. She was a lot like Wally in that sense, cracking jokes to lighten the mood. Though, Danica had more of a dry sense of humor than her mentor's jovial one.

Reginald glared at her through his helmet. "That's not the point," he snapped. He was all business most of the time, similar to his father. Although, he did have his mother's knack for disregarding the rules when he had to. "Can't you focus for once in your life?"

Danica stuck her tongue out at him. "I am focused," she retorted. "Maybe if you weren't such a stick in the mud-"

M'gann was quick to silence them both with a glare of her own. "Will you two quit it?" she intervened. She was the oldest and the most reasonable of the group- much like her uncle. However, she was a lot more impatient than him, often treating the other five like they were children. "You're going to get us killed."

Diana tensed at that. Killed? What on the Watchtower could get them killed? Her mind went back to her son's words from earlier: "They might look like our parents, but don't let your guard down because of that."

Just what did that mean?

Theodora shot the Martian a grateful look. "Thanks, M'gann," she said. "Now, we won't know what to expect, so-"

To the Founders' visible horror, Theodora was suddenly hit in the face before she could finish, causing her to fly backward. The culprit proved to be Shayera, her mace in hand and sparking with visible power. Her face was expressionless which was a stark contrast to the Shayera sitting next to her.

"What the hell?" exclaimed the redhead. She looked on in shock, denial sparking in her green eyes. "I... I don't, why would-?" Her expression quickly changed to anger. "I would never hurt Theo!"

And Diana was sure that she wouldn't. Outside of her and Bruce, Shayera was the first one to hold Theodora. She and John were her godparents and it was a job that the redhead performed with honor. Shayera was almost as protective of the girl as Diana was and was one of the last people on Earth that she thought would hurt her.

Something was wrong. Something was terribly, horribly wrong and Diana couldn't find it in herself to be angry with her friend.

John gently shushed her. "Keep watching."

In an instant, Danica was at Theodora's side, followed quickly by Terrance. "Holy crap, are you okay?" she asked frantically.

Theodora quickly stood up, wiping away the blood dripping from her mouth. "I'm fine," she assured the girl. She had always been protective of Danica since she was the youngest and often shielded her from the entire truth. This led Diana to believe that her baby girl was hurting more than she let on.

Jonathan, who had been quiet up to this point, kept his eyes forward. "They're coming," he announced to the group. He was patient and calm as his father but lacked his friendly nature. He often opted to keep to himself and really only opening up to the twins. This was probably due to the fact that she, Bruce, and Clark were closest to one another than anyone in the League.

"Which ones?" asked Terrance. Even behind his domino mask, it was apparent that his eyes were scanning every inch of the area.

"All of them."

Shayera on the screen was soon joined by the rest of the Founders, each wearing the same blank face as the redhead and each armed for battle. Diana had her sword unsheathed, Bruce had his batarangs out, John was holding up his ring, and even though they didn't have physical weapons, Clark, Wally, and J'onn were definitely ready for a fight.

All of the Founders in the Monitor Womb stood in horror as they watched themselves. Their stances weren't the type they used to train their proteges. No, they were the stances used to take out their deadliest opponents. In fact, Diana found her stance reminiscent of when she had fought against Vandal Savages' forces in Kasnia.

Never, in her life, did she ever think that she'd take that stance with a group of children. Least of all, this particular group of children. Least of all, her children.

And suddenly, the Founders on-screen lunged forward.

"Split up!" ordered Theodora. The rest did as she said, leading their respective mentors away from the rest of the group and out of the control deck.

"J'onn, follow them!" bit out Bruce. His face was impassive as always, but Diana knew her husband. She knew that he was racked with fear and panic at what could have happened to their children. Of what they could have done to their children.

J'onn's hands were shaking as they typed away on the keyboard. "Which one?" he asked. His voice, though completely void of tone, wavered a bit as he spoke.

"Whichever one you see first."

J'onn obliged, settling on the footage with Danica and Wally. She was zipping around him, trying to avoid his advances. The two were in a random hallway, so there wasn't much room for the extent of their powers.

"Wally, I know you're in there!" she tried. There was no response from the redhead, however, as he threw a well-aimed punch at her, just catching her in the cheek. She hissed in pain but was able to evade his next kick. "Come on, you gotta snap out of it!"

It was sad, watching her plead for her mentor to come back to her, to stop attacking her. It was something that should never happen. It was their job to teach and protect their proteges, not to be the ones to attack them.

It was sickening, in a way.

Danica was fast enough to sidestep another punch, but she missed his sweeping leg, causing her to trip and tumble to the ground. "Ow..." she groaned. She was about to get up when he suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder.

Beside her, the real Wally inhaled sharply.

The on-screen Wally roughly hauled her up off the ground and pinned her against the metal wall. He began to vibrate his hands and Danica immediately seemed to know what he was doing. "Wally, no!" she shouted. "You can't! Please, you gotta fight it!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as he stuck his hand right through her stomach. Danica shrieked in pain, trying her best to kick him away. Everyone in the room knew exactly why she was panicking as she was.

If Wally stopped his hand for an instant, she would die.

Danica pounded her hands against his chest, doing everything in her power to get him off her. It was futile, however, as Wally persisted. While the redhead wasn't very strong, she wasn't any better.

"No," whimpered Wally next to Diana. He looked close to tears and she held herself back from attempting to comfort him. "God please, no."

His prayer was in vain, however, as the Wally on-screen suddenly stopped his hand. Danica breathed her last breath of life before she became limp. Wally removed his hand and allowed her to fall onto the floor, crimson blood gushing out of her open wound.

She was dead.

Time seemed to stop for Diana as everyone in the room became aware of what had just happened. Wally had just killed his protege, a girl who was no older than fourteen. Of course, no one here blamed him as it seemed that no one could recall what had possessed them to attack their children of all people.

Silence overcame the group as J'onn paused the video, the only sound being Wally's heavy sobs. He was experiencing true pain at what he had done and it was heart-wrenching to watch him go through it. Everyone had one thing on their mind as they looked at each other.

What the hell had happened to them?

**Author's Note:**

> *Note: Rex's full name in this story will be Reginald because it's just a personal headcanon of mine. He'll still be called Rex by his friends, but Diana would call him by his full name along with Jon and Theo and Terry. Wally's the exception because... idk.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!


End file.
